Vending apparatus.



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. Wi C 11 asses akfoznu vNo. 842,783. PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907. .A. E. HARRISON.

VENDING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED nu e. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wunoz M A'hurEHarrson ARTHUR EARLY HARRISON, OF BANDRIDGE, TENNESSEE.

VENDING APPARATUS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907.

Application tiled May 9, 1906. Serial No. 315,907.

T0 all wil/0m, t may con/cern:

Beit known that I, ARTHUR E. HARRISON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dandridge, in the county of Jefferson and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic vending apparatus of that type employing a rotary carrier to holdor contain the goods to be vended, said carrier being intermittently operated by a coin-controlled actuating device, so as to discharge or eX- pose for removal a desired article, number of articles, or quantity of goods at each successive operation.

The object of the -inventon is to provide a simple and eflicient construction of apparatus of this character wherein improved means are provided/for controlling the operation of the carrier.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an irregular vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus, taken on line :t of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line y 'y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4'is a pers ective viewy of the plunger. Fig. 5 is a rear e evation of the same. Fig. 6/ is a perspective viewof the carrier-controlling dog. Fig. 7 is a detail section through one side of the casing looking toward the dog and its guideway.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the casing of the apparatus provid ed at its upper front portion with a transparent panel 2 and below the same with an opening 3 for the removal of the article or goods from the carrier. VThe carrier comprises a drinn or wheel 4, provided with a series of peripheral pockets or chambers 5, adapted to hold the article or goods to be vended. These pockets are adapted during the intermittent rotation of the drum to be successively brought into alinement with the opening 3, so that the purchaser may extract the article or goods therefrom. vThe carrier is mounted upona rotary shaft or axle 5, suitablyjournaled in the casing, and is provided upon its side edges with peripheral ratchet-teeth 6, adapted to be engaged by pawls 7 upon the base of a chamber orcasing 8 at the front ofthe machine lbelow the opening 3, said teeth and pawls being properly formed to permitthe carrier to have forward .ranged upon said wall is a spring rotation, while preventing retrograde rotation thereof.

v A curved plate 9 incloses the lower portion of the carrier and is fixed at its front end to the bottom of the casing 8 and at its rear end to a stationary cross-strip 10, said plate forming a closure for the pockets on the lower portion of the wheel to prevent the goods contained therein from dropping out.

Within the chamber 8 is mounted a sliding plunger 11, comprising an oblong rectangular block having ail-upper horizontal front portion 12, to which 1s attached a rod or stem 13, leading outward .through the front wall of the casing and provided with a pushbutton or knob 14. A coiled spring'l5 surrounds the stem between the button and front wall of the casing and is inclosed at its inner end in a guide-tube 16, the function of said spring being to retract the plunger after its release by the purchaser and the operation of the machine for the purchase of an article or package of goods. p

The block 11 is formed with a slot or recess 17, in which is arranged a coin-bracing rib 18, and at the rear of said rib is a vertical slot 19,.form'ed in the front edge of the flange 12, which slot is adapted to normally aline with the coin-inlet 20. The coin inserted through said inlet drops downward through the slot 19 and rests partially therein and partially upon the bottom wall 2l of the casing 8. Theupper portion ofthe coin bears against the rib 18 and is held thereby from tilting when the plunger is pushed forward. The wall 21 is formed with a`slot 22 for the discharge of the coin into the casin and arog or detent 23. When the plunger is forced tothe limit of its forward movement, the lower edge of the coin rides over-this detent, which springs upward in rear of the coin and prevents its withdrawal and retraction ofthe plunger :inv the event that the coin should hang in the Islot 22, so that the purchaser by proper manipulation of the knob 14 may effect the release of the coin, so that it will pass downward lthrough the slot. tent 23 also prevents any possibility of the return of the coin with the plunger after the latter has been operated to turn the carrierdrum. The plunger is formed in its lower edge with an opening 24 to clear the detent A23, and the flange 12 thereof is formed in its upper edge with a notch 25, having a beveled! The de- Y bottom wall. Pivotally supported upon the top wall of the casing 8 is a guard-dog 26,

notches 28 are of such size as to permit a coin of the desired denomination to readily tilt the plunger upward and pass the saine, while causing the plunger to engage the edges of thinner tokens or coins of less denomination to prevent the same from being fed forward, the insertion of an improper -coin thereby causing the plunger to be locked against forward movement.

The rear face of the-plunger is transversely grooved to loosely receiveand bear against a transverse cross-bar 30, provided at its ends with arms 31 and 32, located on opposite sides of the casing and extending toward the rearthereof, the arm 32 being slidably mounted in a suitable bearing 33. The said crossbar and arms form a sliding frame for effecting the operation of the carrier-drum. The arm 31 extends below a guide 34 and through a chamber or cylinder 35, and fixed tov said arm and .oper'atingin said cylinder is a piston 36. This cylinder and piston form an air-cushion'to check the rearward movement of the sliding frame and to prevent too forcible or violent operation thereof.

On the shaft of the drum at one side of said drum is a gear-wheel 37, meshing with a drive-gear 38, loosely mounted .on a suitablyrotation.

supported shaft 39, having a rectangular key-receiving end 4G. Acoiled spring 41 is fixed at one end to the shaft and at the other end to said gear and imparts rearward motion thereto to communicate reverse motion to the gear 37, whereby the carrier-drum is adapted to be rotated in a forward direction. Any suitable pawl-and-ratchet mechanism may be provided to hold the gear 38 from retrograde The spring 41 may be wound at intervals by the application of a key 'to the end 40 of the. shaft 39, and in practice the spring may be of such construction as to impart one com lete rotation only to the drum before rewin ing thereof ,is required.

The drum iprovided on its side opposite` 'ing mechanism withA a series` of pins or projections 42, extending laterally the spring-dri therefrom-and equal in numberto and-co lin'ciding in arrangement with the pockets 5.-. These pins are adapted to be engaged 'by a controlling-dog 43. The dogx43 comprises a rectangular block suitably ed to the arm 31 and formed at its outer. side with adove-k tailed projection 44, engaging a dovetailed slot in the guide or casing 34.-' -In the block arev formed slots or passages. 45 46, opening laterally through the same on its inner side or the side opposite the'projection44. 'The .slot 45 isarcuately curved and connects at' its lower forward end with the 4front end of' the slot 46, a shoulder 47 thus being formed at the point of intersection of said slots. At its upper end the slot 45 has an obliquelyarranged inlet '48, formed with a beveled seat-Wall 49, extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The slot 46 extends horizontally and opens through the rear of the dog beneath and in advance of the seat-wall 49. The lower rear portion of theblockls cut away to shorten the slot 46 and is beveled to provide for the proper application thereto' of an obliquely-arranged .spring-detent 50, guarding the rear or outlet portion of said slot. This construction provides an overhanging stop-shoulder 51 above and in rear of the outlet end of the slot. The .dog normally engages one of the fpins 42, which seats therein at the point o intersection of the two slots and rests against the shoulder 47, whereby the vdrum is held from movernent with an empty pocket facing the discharge-opening 3.

The opera'iion is as follows: Upon the in-. serrionofa coin into the slot 19 theinserted coin will lie in rear of the cross-arm 30 of the sliding frame, and thereby couple the same to the plunger '11, so that upon the forward inotion of said plunger the sliding frame will be operated to communicate motion to the dog 43. the pin 42, occupying the slot 46, will pass outward at the rear of said slot and' beyond the detent 50, which latter again closes the slot after the passage of the pin to prevent the dog from being retracted until the full operation is carried out. During this forward movement of the dog the pin 43,0f the next adjacent superposed pocket will ride over the upper face of the dog and engage the seat portion 49, thus allowing said pin to enter theslot 45.

and the spring-driving mechanism will im el it forward, such motion being controlled or the rotation ofthe drum to the extent of a singie pocket by the movement of such superposed pin downward in the curved slot 45,

its restoration to normal position the action 4of the pin in riding in the slot 45Will shift the sliding frame back to normal position and -the pin Will move into engagement with the stop-shoulder 47,-thus holding the drum from further revolution. This operation brings the filled openin'gmto alinement with said opening, so that the article or goods may be extracted therefrom by the purchaser.

'vides a Asimple and effective vending appa` 'ratus of, the character described which embodiesimproved means` fon controlling the action of the drum, the operation of the plunger,and the positive movement of the-drum to a prescribed position upon each operation of the plunger. The apparatus may be con- Upon such forward motion of the dog Y9 whereby upon the release of the plunger and Y n'wiu thus be Seen that my'invenaon pro'- ylog, The drum will there y be free for movement llOl pocket above .and in rear of the structed in` practice of any desired size and provided with" any preferred number of frame and provided with receiving and re.

leasing slots cooperating with said projections to control the movement of said carrier, and means `for actuating the sliding frame. f

2. In a vending apparatus, the combination of a rotary spring-actuated carrier provided with locking projections, a sliding frame, a dog carried by said sliding frame and having receiving and releasing slots cooperating with said projections to control the movement of the carrier, a detent upon the dog guarding the releasin3-s1ot,Y and means for actuating the sliding frame.

3. In a vendingapparatus, the combina-r` tion of a rotary spring-actuated carrier, locking projections upon they carrier, 'a dog arranged to slide in a fixed plane and provided with an arcuate receiving-slot and an intersecting releasing-slot cooperating with said.

projections to control the movement of the carrier, and means for operating the dogs.

4. In a vending apparatus, the combination of a rotary spring-actuated carrier, locking projections upon the carrier, a dog arranged to slide in a fixed path and Vprovided with an arcuate receiving-slot and an intersecting releasing-slot cooperating with sad projections to control the movement of the carrier, said dog being further provided at the outlet end of saidreleasing-slot with a detent, and means for actuating the dog.

5. In a vending apparatus, the combination of a rotary spring-actuated carrier provided with'locking projections, a sliding dog movable across the path of movement of said projections, said dog being provided with intersecting arcuate and horizontal receiving and releasing slots coperating with said projections to control the movement of the carrier, said receiving-slot being provided with an inlet'liaving an inclined guide and the re'- leasing-slot withr a detent at the outer end thereof, and means for actuating the dog.

6. In a vending apparatus, the combination of a rotary spring-actuated carrier provided with locking projections, a sliding frame,a dog carried by the frame and Inovable across tlie path of rotation of said projections, said dog being provided with intersecting arcuate and straight receiving and releasing slots cooperating with said projections to control the movement of the carrier, said receiving-slot being provided with a guide-inlet and the releasing-slot witha detent at the outlet end thereof, and means for imparting motion tothe sliding frame.

7; In a vending apparatus, the combination of a rotary spring-actuated carrier provided with locking projections, a sliding dog comprising a block having an arcuate receiving-slot provided with an inlet at its upper end and a horizontal.receiving-slot intersecting said arcuate slot at its forward end and opening at its rear end through the block,

saidslots extending through one side of the block to receive and cooperate with said projections to control the movement of the carrier, a detent at the outlet end of the releasingslot,fand means for imparting motion to the dog.

' 8. In a vending apparatus, a rotary springactuated carrier provided with a circular series of locking projections, in combination with a dog comprising a block having receiving and releasing slots, said slots `being arranged to release a projection itting therein and receive the` succeeding projection upon the forward movement of the block to permit the carrier to rotate the distance between adjacent pins, and4 means for imparting motion to-the dog. i

9. In a vending apparatus, thecombination of a spring-actuated' rotary carrier provided with locking projections, the dog cooperating with' said locking projections to control the movement of the carrier, said dog being provided with receiving and releasing slots cooperating with said projections, a sliding frame carrying the dog, cushioning means associated withfsaid frame, and, means for operating the sliding frame.

10. In a vending apparatus, the combination of a rotary spring-actuated carrier provided with locking projections upon one side thereof,`a sliding frame, a dog carried thereby TOO having receiving and releasing slots opening i through one .side thereof and .coperating with said projections to control the action of lthe carrier, and means for imparting motion ARTHUR EARLY HARRISON.

Witnesses EMETfi` HARRISON, H. M. ZIR'KEL. 

